Talking to the horse

Our daughter, a riding instructor, began a lesson with a young girl who was seated astride a pony.
"How much riding have you done?" she asked the eight-year-old.
No answer.
Again, "How much riding have you done?"
Still no answer.
In a loud voice, in case the child was deaf, my daugther bellowed, "HOW MUCH RIDING HAVE YOU DONE?"
"Oh, sorry," said the girl. "I thought you were talking to the horse."